Widgets Magazine
Results 1 to 9 of 9

Thread: Parking Woes at Local Malls

  1. Default Parking Woes at Local Malls

    [I particularly like the part where the Mayor has a wider reserved parking space than everyone else]


    Tight spots
    Many of city's parking spaces don't measure up.


    By John Estus
    Staff Writer

    Want to test the laws of physics? Try backing a Hummer H2 out of a nearly 14-foot long parking spot without plowing into another car.
    "This is a joke,” groaned Allyson Jones, 21, as she inched her orange H2 backward on the third attempt to back out of a parking space at French Market Mall, NW 63 and May Avenue.

    On her fourth try, Jones finally got the 17-foot long Hummer out — with a few inches to spare.

    She had been trapped in one of many parking spots that are smaller than Oklahoma City parking codes require.

    Most of the French Market Mall spots are just 13 feet 9 inches long, but the code says they should be at least four and a half feet longer.

    Traffic aisles in the parking lot at the shopping center also are narrow.

    The shopping center's management company, Maryland-based Saul Centers, did not return calls seeking comment.

    While length and width requirements change slightly with the angle of the parking space, the minimum requirements are never less than 8 ½ feet wide and 18 feet, 7 inches long for regular parking spaces.


    Season brings problems
    "We see a lot more dings” during the holiday season, said Mike Denison, owner of Dent Depot and Tear Repair. "People opening doors or trying to race into a parking spot.”
    At Penn Square Mall recently, some cars in the parking garage's compact spots were less than 6 inches apart.

    Some spots are only 7 feet 1 inch wide despite the city's requirement that compact spaces be no smaller than 7 ½ feet wide.

    A Dodge Neon fits into a 7-foot 1-inch spot with about 8 inches to spare on either side, though that only leaves a little less than 1 ½ feet to open the door and squeeze out of the car if cars are parked on both sides. That's assuming the cars are parked straight and are bonafide compact cars.

    The Ford Expedition straddling both parking stripes of a compact space certainly wasn't.

    Penn Square officials said they measured their compact car spots and think they are up to code.

    "We will double check and if we've got any that we need to fix we'll take a look,” said the mall's general manager, Bob Landack.


    Eyeball test
    When developers propose a project, they submit construction plans to the city's zoning department for approval.
    They are required to include parking lot layouts and parking space sizes in the plans.

    The zoning department oversees city parking spaces and must sign off on the plans before construction begins and approve the finished project before it can open to the public.

    J.J. Chambless, an urban redevelopment specialist for the zoning department, said zoning inspectors typically don't measure completed parking spots before approving them. Instead, they give it an eyeball test.

    "I'm sure they would (measure) if it looked like there was something wrong,” Chambless said.

    There haven't been any cases Chambless remembers when a zoning inspector found parking spaces too small and didn't approve the construction, he said.

    Chambless said if inspectors find a parking space is too small after construction, they send the property owner a notice and give them a chance to fix it before issuing a citation.

    Just outside the zoning office, most of the spaces in the lot between the city municipal building and an office building at 420 Main St. are smaller than the required at 8 feet, 1 inch wide and 17 feet, 2 inches long.

    But some spots in the lot have plenty of room, such as the mayor's 10-foot-wide reserved parking spot and City Council members' 8 foot, 7 inch wide reserved spots.

    "I'm very confident that he (Mayor Mick Cornett) has not asked for a larger parking spot,” said David Holt, an aide to the mayor. "I'm sure it was unintentional.

    "If any one wanted him to make his spot smaller, I'm sure he would oblige — but that would probably cost more money than it's worth,” Holt said.

    Acting chief traffic engineer Stuart Chai said parking lots sometimes have disproportionate measurements that make it impossible to stripe every parking spot at equal sizes.


    The bigger the better
    Developers are required to have a certain amount of parking spots for every square foot of commercial office or retail space in a building.
    Exceeding the minimum amount of spaces set by the city is a good business practice because parking is crucial in cities that lack major mass transit systems.

    "My father taught me years ago that there's one thing that will kill a business quicker than anything, and that is no parking,” said city developer P.B. Odom III.

    But when developers try to cram more spaces into parking lots by cutting the size of the spaces to less than city standards, it can end up working against them.

    "It's really a detriment in my judgment to do that,” Odom said.

    "People then have wrecks and there's door dings. Nobody wants door dings.”

  2. Default Re: Parking Woes at Local Malls

    Okay, show of hands - who got all misty-eyed at the plight of the 21-year old and her Hummer H2 sob story?

    We have a 3rd car, a truck actually, for moving stuff and all. It's a real 'beater' vehicle. I get a personal chuckle out of finding the snob with a corvette, BMW etc, that feels a need to park taking up two spaces to keep others cars away. I pull up as close as I possibly can to the driver's side so they have to enter and climb through the passenger side. I know, childish, but it makes my day!

  3. #3

    Default Re: Parking Woes at Local Malls

    Good lord I would think spoiled is the key word here...I can even imagine the whine in her voice when she calls her daddy to come help her out of the parking spot

    "Daddy I am stuck next to some disgusting Taurus and get this a Saturn....Oh my gawd"

    I'm sure he also enjoys paying her $400 a month gas bill, but I'm sure her 10 hours a week working in a tanning salon helps out a little

  4. #4

    Default Re: Parking Woes at Local Malls

    i'm totally with you bailjumper... i often miss my old '84 bonneville that i drove when i was in school. i didn't care what it looked like, so when some poor snob would double park, i'd park right up next to him... even for those who double parked diagonally! -M

  5. Default Re: Parking Woes at Local Malls

    I hear ya brother... Back when I was single my roomate and I had a neighbor at our apt that would do the diagonal thing so nobody parked near his 300Z (hot car in 1993). We would block him in on either side and leave a note taped on our door to the effect... "Went to the lake, be back monday." Those were the days!

  6. Default Re: Parking Woes at Local Malls

    Wow, people will find just about anything to complain about, won't they?

    I drive a Honda. It fits everywhere.
    Still corrupting young minds

  7. #7

    Default Re: Parking Woes at Local Malls

    I have to agree that French Market Mall has by far the worst parking situation I can think of.

    There are several factors that contribute to this debacle. 1) The parking spaces are small and close together, 2) The rows of parking spaces are very close, 3) There is a Furr's Cafeteria in the vicinity (old folks and cadillacs) and 4) People do not take full advantage of the allotted space, they employ snow parking practices which is to shut it down wherever you want.

    I have had to reverse out of the driving area because a car on each side of me was extending too far in the right of way. It's a terrible situation for me, particularly since I like Furr's.

    The absurd part is that the parking area is enormous and could be remarked with negligible loss of parking. Yes, you might be forced to walk a little further, but after the All-you-can-eat buffet, is that really a bad thing? Just food for thought...no pun intended.

  8. #8
    Keith Guest

    Default Re: Parking Woes at Local Malls

    Quote Originally Posted by BailJumper View Post
    Okay, show of hands - who got all misty-eyed at the plight of the 21-year old and her Hummer H2 sob story?

    We have a 3rd car, a truck actually, for moving stuff and all. It's a real 'beater' vehicle. I get a personal chuckle out of finding the snob with a corvette, BMW etc, that feels a need to park taking up two spaces to keep others cars away. I pull up as close as I possibly can to the driver's side so they have to enter and climb through the passenger side. I know, childish, but it makes my day!
    I thought I was the only one that did stuff like that.LOL. I love my 2000 Chevy S-10, but it is a little scratched and it is my work truck, so I don't worry too much about it.

    If I see a nice, expensive, vehicle taking up two parking spaces, then I will also park as close as I can to that vehicle, making it impossible for them to get in on the driver's side. Maybe I am wrong to do that, but I sure do enjoy it.

    I look at it this way......if they can't park it or back it up, then they don't need to be driving it. One thing that irritates me are the ones who think their Ford F250 is a compact vehicle and attempt to park it in a compact parking spot.

  9. #9

    Default Re: Parking Woes at Local Malls

    Parking a "bubba sized" vehicle in a compact space will earn a parking ticket in many places. I issued tickets at OU HSC that cost $25 bucks a pop. At OU Norman, they will ticket and tow for this violation if the vehicle is obstructing traffic flow.

Thread Information

Users Browsing this Thread

There are currently 2 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 2 guests)

Similar Threads

  1. Malls updating for the 21st century
    By Patrick in forum General Civic Issues
    Replies: 52
    Last Post: 08-16-2008, 05:53 PM
  2. Bricktown Parking
    By metro in forum General Civic Issues
    Replies: 20
    Last Post: 08-09-2006, 12:03 PM
  3. More covered parking for WRWA
    By Pete in forum General Civic Issues
    Replies: 24
    Last Post: 05-14-2006, 10:10 AM
  4. New parking meters coming to downtown
    By Patrick in forum General Civic Issues
    Replies: 5
    Last Post: 08-17-2005, 12:37 PM
  5. Open air malls the way of the 21st century
    By Patrick in forum General Civic Issues
    Replies: 4
    Last Post: 06-15-2005, 06:05 PM

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •  
Single Sign On provided by vBSSO